


Make Your Nest and Lay in It

by silv3rbloodalch3mist



Series: Growing With Magic [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabble Collection, Dragon Slayer Headcanons, F/F, F/M, LOTS of Wendy being the only sane one, Lots of Natsu being a little shit, Lots of unconventionally smart Gajeel headcanons, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), multiple POVs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2014-05-03
Packaged: 2018-01-02 14:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silv3rbloodalch3mist/pseuds/silv3rbloodalch3mist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The learning curve from having one dragon slayer to suddenly having three is steep. Especially when more are coming out of the floorboards and the only one who seems to have all the answers is none other than than the Kurogane himself. Life in Magnolia is about to get interesting. "The Drake doesn't have to be the strongest or the smartest, but he does have to be the loudest, because it's his job to make everyone listen."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Territorial Stare Down

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them.

Lucy hadn't been expecting this when she left her apartment this morning.

She had thought she'd walk into the guild, hang out with her friends for a while, maybe even look for a new job so she could have some extra spending money. All in all, a normal day for the Celestial Mage.

Instead, Lucy walked into No Man's Land.

"What the…" the blonde said softly, looking in confusion at all the mages who were sitting by the door or on the stairs. As far as she could tell, all the tables on the main floor were empty, and there was a low rumbling coming from somewhere in the guild.

"Hey Lu!" Levy said from her spot on the stairs, waving and patting the empty spot next to her. Lucy had to shimmy her way through the tightly packed mages, but it didn't take her very long to get to the Script Mage's side.

"Hey Lev," she greeted, waving at Jet and Droy who were both sitting behind Levy. "What's going on?"

Levy sighed, gesturing to opposite sides of the guild. "Those two happened," she said wearily, and Lucy looked to where Levy had pointed.

The tables that she thought were empty were actually filled, but only by two people. On opposite sides of the guild sat Natsu and Gajeel, both glaring at the other with their arms crossed. Gajeel blended right into the shadows, which explained why Lucy hadn't seen him - not that she really wanted to look, she could still remember the _ting_ of the daggers he threw at her, outlining her body in sharp iron - but Natsu's behavior baffled her.

Typically he couldn't stay still, always running around and shouting at anyone who would listen to him. He caught everyone's eyes because he was constantly moving. But he was practically invisible, sitting still and silent with a look of unmasked contempt as he glared at the other Dragon Slayer.

It was a little scary actually.

"So, they're glaring at each other. Why is everyone on the stairs?" Lucy asked, looking back at her friend. Levy simply pointed again, this time at a guild member that Lucy didn't recognize as he shakily made his way to the bar.

Which just happened to be on the opposite side of the guild. Past the two glaring mages.

The second the poor sap stepped into their line of sight, the low rumbling grew louder and both Dragon Slayers bared their teeth at the man, the air charged with magic. Lucy realized with a shock that the rumbles were actually the two mages _growling_ at each other, and at the mage who ran with a sob to the bar and away from the two Dragon Slayers.

The second he had moved out from between the two, the growling quieted back to a low rumble and the Dragon Slayers went back to their staring contest.

"The hell?"

"They've been like that all day," Levy said with a sigh. "They only do it when anyone walks between them, but no one wants to risk setting them off." Lucy just gaped as Natsu shifted in his seat, his chest puffed out as if trying to look bigger. Gajeel did the same, but it was slightly more intimidating seeing as he was broad, thick muscles where Natsu was more lanky.

"What are they even doing?" she asked, bewildered. "I've never seen Natsu like this!"

"Juvia agrees," the Water Mage cut in from where she was sitting next to Gray towards the bottom of the stairs, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "She's never seen Gajeel act like this before!"

"They're like two wild animals," Gray grouched, his chin resting in his palm.

"That's actually pretty close," Levy said, and most of the guild members sitting by the door turned to look at her.

"Did you find something?" Erza asked, and Lucy noticed the book in Levy's lap for the first time. She held it up and the Celestial Mage took note of the dragon painted on the back of the book.

"According to this," Levy started, flipping through a few pages until she found the passage she was looking for, "what they're doing now is typical dragon behavior when someone new is introduced to a dragon's territory."

"But they aren't actually dragons," Jet said, looking confused. "Why would they do that?"

"They were both raised by dragons, so it makes sense that they would adopt some of their behaviors. Plus, Dragon Slaying magic seems to affect the body of the mage," Levy explained. "Heightened senses, stronger bodies, faster absorption of the eternano in the air. Would it be so weird that the magic affected them mentally as well? They have all the instincts a dragon would, heck, they could practically be half dragon-"

"Go back to the territory thing please," Erza said from her spot, shoving Jet and Droy carelessly out of the way so she could look at the book over the little blunette's shoulder. All the mages surrounding them shook their heads at the Requip Mage's absent mindedness, and Levy just shot each of her teammates a concerned glance before looking back to the book.

"Well basically, when Gajeel joined the guild, he entered Natsu's territory. Now they're just trying to show each other who's in charge." There was a collective "Ah" as everyone finally realized what was going down.

"Gajeel's trying to make a place for himself in Natsu's territory, and Natsu isn't cool with that," Lucy summed up for Gray, who had only grown more confused at Levy's explanation.

"So this is the dragon version of whipping it out and measuring?"

"If you want to be crude about it, yeah."

Gray scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Idiots, the both of them."

"Ain't that the truth," Cana grumbled from where she was sitting on the rail. "I need my beer, damnit!"

"Cana's right," Erza said, standing. "There's been quite enough of this." With that, she stepped over all the mages that were on the steps and started towards Natsu. The whole guild seemed to collectively hold their breath as she stepped up to his table, a dark aura around her as she stood tall, arms crossed over her chest.

Natsu and Gajeel growled louder at the intrusion, but both abruptly cut off when the Requip Mage yanked Natsu out of his seat by his ear. Everyone looked on in shocked silence as she dragged him towards the other Dragon Slayer, the only sounds being the metallic clanking of her armor and Natsu's loud complaining at being manhandled.

When she reached Gajeel's table, she dropped the Fire Dragon Slayer on the opposite side of the table, glaring at the both of them. "You two have disturbed everyone's day long enough," she said lowly, her voice threatening. "You two are free to have your territorial stare down, but either have it in a way that does not disturb the rest of the guild or take it outside. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Natsu said quickly, shaking in his seat at the quiet show of authority and anger. Gajeel, who had only seen the Titania during the battle between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail and thus did not know the explosiveness that her anger truly contained, simply scoffed.

The scoff turned into a yelp - which had several of the mages on the steps sniggering and the others staring in shock - when Erza grabbed Gajeel's head, pulling roughly on his hair until he was forced to look her in the eye.

_"Am I clear?"_ Erza repeated, tightening her fist until Gajeel choked out a "Y-yes!"

"Good," Erza said calmly, releasing her grip on him and walking away without another word. Gajeel stared after her, still in shock, until Natsu laughed at his frightened expression. They were back to growling and glaring within a heartbeat, but most of Fairy Tail was ignoring them now as they went back to their tables. Levy and Lucy stayed on the stairs as the crowd pushed past them, watching Erza as she sat at the bar next to a relieved Cana and ordered a slice of cake.

"I don't think it matters who wins their little glare off," Lucy whispered to Levy with a grin, gesturing towards the table that everyone was giving a wide berth to. "We all know who's really in charge."


	2. Time Out Table

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them.

Gajeel and Natsu's fighting had become a popular spectator sport following the territory issue. Not their physical fights, because those typically ended up involving half the guild anyways, but their verbal fights.

It was fun to watch and see who could come up with the dumbest name for the other.

"Volcano breath!"

"Lightning fodder!"

"STRAWBERRY!"

" _TAKE THAT BACK_!"

"Strawberry, really?" Lucy said with a laugh, shaking her head at the two Dragon Slayers. They were sitting at what had been titled their "Time Out Table", where Erza would put them whenever their fighting got too out of control.

"Does 'Strawberry' beat 'Magnet Whore'?" Levy asked, not looking up from her book. Lucy just laughed.

"My favorite is still 'Firecrotch'," she admitted, making the Script Mage snort loudly."Is that the same book you were reading the other day?" Lucy asked, leaning over to get a better look at the large tome.

"Yup!" Levy closed the book, one finger holding her place as she showed Lucy the cover.

" _'Living in the Nest'_?"

"Yeah, it's the account of a man who lived in a dragons' nest for five years," Levy explained. "It's a fairly old book, but it's the most accurate in terms of information on dragons. It's actually really fascinating!"

Just when Lucy was about to ask to see the book and maybe find out if Natsu's constant breaking into her apartment was a dragon thing, the yelling from the Time Out Table got too loud to ignore.

"I WOULD!"

"NO, I WOULD!"

"NO,  _I_  WOULD!"

_"NO-"_

Everyone in the guild hall seemed to scream " _SHUT UP_!" at the same time, making the two Dragon Slayers snap their mouths shut immediately. Lucy giggled at their absurd behavior and Levy just shook her head, a bright smile on her lips. Her eyes seemed to linger on Gajeel for a moment, eyebrows bunching together in confusion, and Lucy quietly tapped the table top to get her attention.

"You okay?" she asked softly, prepared to lead Levy out of the guild hall and to somewhere safe and away from the ex-Phantom mage. Levy shook her head, smiling wryly at her friend.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about something." Lucy tried to ask what was wrong, but was cut off by a clearly aggravated Natsu falling into the seat next to her, sinking until the top of his head barely reached her shoulder. "Erza let you go?" Levy asked, eagerly jumping on the change of topic.

"She said that 'if you're done growling like wild dogs, you can go back to your tables if it means you'll stop disturbing the rest of the guild'," the Dragon Slayer said with a sneer, speaking in a high falsetto when he was relaying what the Requip Mage had said to him. "Not like it's my fault! Rustcrotch started it!"

"I HEARD THAT!"

Natsu growled loudly, making to stand up, but one look from Erza had him back in his chair.

Lucy and Levy laughed, the Script Mage almost to the point of crying, at the new nickname that they both decided was their new favorite. "What were you two even fighting about?" Lucy asked once she had calmed down enough to get her sentence out.

"Gajeel said that he'd make a better Drake than me," Natsu growled, his shoulders hunching up and his cheeks puffing out almost comically. Lucy quirked her head to the side in confusion, ignoring how Levy looked back over at Gajeel with wide eyes.

"And that would be?" she asked, waving her hand in circles to encourage Natsu to keep going.

"I mean what the hell!?" Natsu said instead, Lucy's question going in one ear and out the other. "He's a selfish bastard! He doesn't have the protective instinct that a Drake needs! ' _It's in my blood_ ', what kind of bullshit is that- YOU'RE ADOPTED, ASSHOLE!"

_"NATSU I WILL BREAK YOUR FACE!"_

Natsu jumped when Erza yelled at him from the bar, sinking lower into his seat until she could only see the top of his shaking head. Lucy rolled her eyes, bopping the top of the Dragon Slayer's head lightly. "Natsu, focus," she said calmly, "what's a Drake? It's a type of dragon, right?"

"Nah, that's a common mistake to make," Natsu said, sitting all the way back up in his seat so he could look Lucy in the eye as he answered her. "The Drake is the dragon who leads and protects the nest. They're kinda like the guild master. They hafta look after all the dragons, and _Gajeel,"_ he glared in the direction of the other Dragon Slayer, "wouldn't do that for anyone besides himself."

Lucy could actually _feel_ the awkward silence that came from across the table, and looked up to see Levy biting her lower lip nervously, playing with her fingers. "Lev?" she asked gently, and Levy's head snapped up to meet her eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm…" she trailed off, looking over her shoulder at the Iron Dragon Slayer in the opposite side of the guild. He was drinking by himself, not looking up from the tabletop. Lucy couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness for him. He looked so lonely.

"That's not exactly true, Natsu," Levy said, bringing Lucy's attention back to her. "Yesterday, Jet and Droy… well, they tried to get back at Gajeel for... what he did."

"Oh my god! Are they okay?" Lucy asked, looking around for the other two members of Shadow Gear, a confused sound coming out of her mouth when she found them both, unharmed, sitting and drinking with Wakaba and Macao.

"That's the thing, Gajeel didn't fight back!" Levy continued, clearly relieved to get this all off her chest. "He just took it! And then Laxus showed up-"

"Laxus is back?" Natsu asked excitedly over Lucy's gasp, practically bouncing in his chair.

"Yeah, but he was acting weird," Levy continued, looking down at the table. Lucy noticed that the Script Mage's hands had started to shake, and reached over to lay her own hand over one of Levy's. Levy smiled gratefully at her. "Anyways, he joined the fight, yelling about how Gajeel had made Fairy Tail a laughing stock. He just kept slamming Gajeel's head into the ground, over and over and over-"

"Levy," the Celestial Mage interrupted gently, shaking Levy out of her memories. The bluenette took a deep breath, nodding to indicate that she was okay.

"We yelled for him to stop," she continued, her voice barely a whisper, "he was going too far. And then Laxus got angry and… and he fired one of his lightning attacks at us. Me, specifically." Both Lucy and Natsu gasped, looking at Levy with wide eyes. "I could feel the power from across the park, that shot would have killed me, but…"

"But?" Natsu asked, hanging on her every word. Levy met his eyes, and Lucy was surprised by the conflict she could see in her friend's eyes.

"Gajeel took the attack instead," she said, almost like she couldn't figure it out herself. "He was so fast, I barely saw him move. After that, he just... walked away." She took another deep breath. "Gajeel saved my life."

Lucy and Natsu both sat there in shocked silence, unable to decide if Laxus attacking Levy was more shocking than Gajeel protecting the little mage. They watched in continued silence as Levy, with a determined expression, grabbed her bag and started heading towards the opposite side of the guild.

As the little Script Mage made her way to Gajeel's table, more and more people noticed her. By the time she got to his table, everyone was silently watching, ready to jump up and defend Levy if Gajeel should make a wrong move. The Iron Dragon Slayer for his part looked up at Levy with a deer-in-the-headlights look - complete with full mouth - that Lucy would have found hilarious if she wasn't still in shock.

"Hey," Levy said, smiling slightly. If the guild hadn't been so quiet, Lucy wouldn't have been able to hear the quiet word, but the sound traveled so well across the silent room that it sounded like Levy hadn't moved from across the table.

Gajeel swallowed thickly, coughing quietly before looking behind him, as if looking to see if someone had taken the seat next to him (they hadn't) and the bluenette was talking to them instead of him (she wasn't). Lucy almost had to laugh as he straightened up, looking Levy up and down warily. "Uh… hey," he said, his voice a low rumble compared to Levy's high, clear voice.

Lucy could see that Levy's hands were shaking, but she just gripped the strap of her bag tighter. "How did your mission go?"

"I uh, ended up not going. Had to go home and clean up from the, uh… the fight. I'm gonna go next week instead." Gajeel looked so painfully awkward and Lucy really shouldn't be thinking that it was cute how he seemed so awkward around a girl nearly a third his size. Natsu was still in shock next to her.

"And your wounds?" Levy continued, looking more at ease the longer she stood in front of Gajeel and he didn't suddenly leap out at her, teeth bared. "How are they healing?"

"Uuuuuuh, good?"

"Well um, I have this burn salve from the last time I got injured on a mission," Levy said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a round metal tin, playing with it distractedly. "I figured you needed it more than I do. I've got some bandages too, if you need those."

The guild hall shifted its attention to Gajeel like they were watching a tennis match, and the metaphorical ball was in his court. He looked at Levy for a few moments, as if expecting her to throw the tin at his face and laugh at him for falling for her sweet act. But she didn't. She just smiled at him shyly, and someone coughed loudly to snap him out of his thoughts. Immediately the shocked expression was gone and his typical scowl was back as he thrust his arm out. Lucy could see the burn marks from all the way across the guild hall, and somewhere Mirajane made a small noise of concern.

"Well?" Gajeel grumbled, looking away from Levy as he held his arm out further. "Put the shit on then." Levy jumped slightly, eyes widening in realization.

"Oh, uh, right!" She moved closer, only hesitating for a moment before sitting next to the Dragon Slayer. Levy immediately got to work, handling his wound with all the care she would have shown Jet or Droy.

Knowing the show was over, most of the Fairy Tail mages got back to their previous conversations, some with slightly brighter smiles at seeing the Kurogane's iron shell cracked, even for a moment.

But Lucy kept watching her best friend as she carefully smoothed the salve over Gajeel's arm, seemingly oblivious to the Iron Mage's stare. She said something, but Lucy could no longer hear it over the loud din that Fairy Tail was famous for.

"Crap, what did she say?" the Celestial Mage asked Natsu, who was also still focused on the two mages across the room.

"She said 'Thank you'," Natsu relayed, and held up his finger when Lucy opened her mouth. "Gajeel said, 'Just be careful next time, Shorty'."

"Wow," Lucy said softly, looking at the two with a grin. "Who would've guessed, huh?"

Natsu just continued watching his fellow Dragon Slayer, eyebrows bunched together in confusion.

 


	3. The Hellspawn and The Backscratcher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them.

Fantasia had been a complete success, even if Natsu still felt like he had shoved his dick in an electrical outlet.

Wait, no, bad metaphor. He didn't want to put his dick anywhere  _near_  Laxus.

Shuddering at the horrifying mental images that followed that strange thought, Natsu continued to make his way to the field at the end of the parade route where all of the floats had been parked. Someone had set up a tent where everyone could change out of their costumes, and he could hear Jet begging Droy to help him out of the caterpillar costume that he had been forced into by Mirajane earlier that day.

Normally he would have gone over to laugh at the unfortunate Speed Mage, maybe even help a brother out by burning the costume off him - shut up it would totally work - but he had another goal in mind.

And that goal was currently sitting on the edge of Lucy's float, looking bored.

Gajeel looked only a little better off than Natsu did, though at least Natsu didn't have to use a crutch. He had turned his right hand into a thin piece of iron and was using it to try and scratch under his cast, and Natsu almost laughed. They both acted so tough and powerful, but Natsu was basically the hellspawn of a lighter and a can of hairspray and Gajeel was a highly destructive backscratcher.

... Okay, maybe Mirajane was right and he  _did_  have a concussion.

Nah, screw that. Could a concussed person craft those gorgeous flaming letters with his mouth? Natsu thinks not!

Natsu kept walking over to Gajeel, trying not to look like he was imagining Gajeel as a literal backscratcher, but stopped when Gajeel looked up and saw him approaching. "Unless ya've got booze or pain killers hiding in that butt-ugly cast of yers," he started flatly, "don't bother. I'm feeling too shitty to fight with ya right now."

"Nah, I didn't come to start a fight," Natsu said, sitting on the steps that led up to the float platform. His shoulder was nearly touching Gajeel's knee, and he felt oddly comfortable with that. Like how it felt when he and Gray were actually getting along.

It was nice.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes while they watched different guild members scurry around, cleaning up the various floats as best as they could. More floats than usual had survived this year, though Mirajane's float had been totally smashed - which any guild member with half a brain would  _not_  mention - and the float Macao and Wakaba had been on with Cana was covered in various scorch marks and smelled overwhelmingly of alcohol and smoke. Natsu had seen them all taking shots together before the parade so this wasn't exactly a surprise.

He snuck a look at Gajeel, watching him watch a particular Solid Script Mage try to tug the caterpillar head off her teammate's thick skull. He snorted, once again tempted to go over and offer his own fiery brand of help.

… Fine, so Natsu just wanted to see that damn caterpillar costume up in flames. He had been the one forced into it last year and he still had nightmares.

"You're real subtle," Natsu teased, watching Gajeel's adam apple start bobbing like mad.

"I will kick your ass Salamander, don't think I won't."

"Calm down, Metalhead, I was just joking."

Gajeel huffed, pointedly looking away from both Natsu and Levy. The younger Dragon Slayer let him have a few seconds before he asked "Why?"

"... Gotta be more specific," Gajeel grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck wearily.

"Why did you take that hit for me, at the Cathedral?" Natsu continued, looking away from the stunned mage beside him to watch as Reedus started to undo the magic that held each float together, each disappearing onto a sheet of paper in a swirl of colors.

(What, you thought Makarov would actually be willing to spend all the money each float would cost for a one night event that only happened annually? With Fairy Tail's reputation for wrecking shit?  _Ha!)_

The silence that fell between the two Dragon Slayers was heavy, but neither moved away from the other. Natsu wanted to know what had prompted a guy who hated his guts to risk his life for him. If he still felt like he had punched a generator, then he could only imagine what Gajeel - who was made of  _fucking metal_  - must be feeling like.

If it had been Gray, Natsu would have understood. Their personalities and magic clashed more often than not, but they had grown up together. Gray was his brother in every way but blood, same with the other third-gen Fairies.

But he'd known Gajeel for a month, less even. What the fuck had he been thinking when he took that hit?

"We're dragons," Gajeel started quietly, making Natsu focus all his attention to the older Dragon Slayer. "And we may be the only ones left. We have to look out for each other. It's what we do."

"... Laxus doesn't count?"

Gajeel snorted, but it wasn't a mean sound. "Laxus is a fake. We're the real deal."

Natsu looked up at Gajeel for a few moments, both in shock that the gruff Dragon Slayer could be so damn eloquent and to see if he was pulling his leg. But Gajeel just rested his chin in his palm, looking thoughtful.

"I see…" Natsu said, trailing off as he looked off into the distance with Gajeel. He couldn't stop the wide grin from appearing on his face however, and Gajeel snorted again, the corner of his mouth quirking up in the closest thing Natsu had ever seen to a genuine smile on the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Do you think there could be room in the sky for two dragons?"

"As long as you remember who has the longer wingspan, Hatchling."

"Hatch-what?"

"Right," Gajeel groaned, "I forgot you grew up with a hermit." Natsu brushed the insult off, not willing to ruin the easy conversation they had somehow managed to maintain.

"Well!" he said, pushing himself up with his good arm, stretching out his back. "That's all I really wanted to know. I better go make sure Mirajane didn't take the opportunity to try dressing Happy up in other stupid outfits." Gajeel waved him off easily, going back to scratching under his cast. Natsu took a few steps away before stopping. "I take it back," he started, looking over his shoulder.

Gajeel looked up at him, one pierced brow arched high as he waited for the younger Dragon Slayer to finish his thought. "You would make a pretty good Drake," Natsu said with a wide grin, giving Gajeel a thumbs up.

Natsu felt proud at his ability to render the other mage speechless, Gajeel's jaw nearly scraping the ground. But after a few seconds, the strangest thing happened.

Gajeel smiled.

A bright, genuine smile that almost looked out of place on a face that was all sharp angles and reflective metal. The mages in the immediate area, who had been watching the oddly peaceful exchange curiously and trying to make out what they were saying, all came to dead halt to stare in shock. Natsu was pretty sure he saw Levy's knees buckle as Juvia tried to catch her.

"Ya think so?" Gajeel said, rubbing the back of his neck again. He looked much younger when he did that, less like a former member of Phantom Lord and more like a Fairy Tail mage. Like a brother.

"Yeah, I do," Natsu agreed. He let Gajeel have a few more seconds to revel in the praise before his grin turned wicked. "Too bad you'll never get the chance!"

"What!?"

"There's only two of us, Metalhead!" Natsu cackled, walking backwards so he could properly watch Gajeel's grin turn into a snarl. "You need three dragons for a nest! You're shit outta luck!"

"I can still boss you around, Salamander!"

"Yeah right! I'm older than you!"

"I'm twenty, you dick!"

Natsu shrugged, laughing loudly. "Tell you what, if we find another Dragon Slayer, I'll go easy on you when we fight for it!" Gajeel was past words at this point, just making strangling motions with his hands and growling loudly. "But really-"

"What's the chance of another Dragon Slayer showing up?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a wild guess at who's gonna show up next chapter ;P


	4. A Nest Needs a Drake (I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them.

Wendy _loved_ Fairy Tail, and she had only been here for a few hours. She loved the guild hall, with its warm wood furniture and the soft fabrics that hung from the ceiling or ran along the floor. She loved everyone in the guildhall and how genuinely happy they all seemed just to be among friends. She loved their willingness to party and to celebrate life, and how easily they had accepted her into their family.

But what she loved most of all was that she wasn’t alone anymore.

Wendy wasn’t the only Dragon Slayer anymore! There were other people who had been what she had been what she had been through, to learn from and support. Natsu was already very dear to her, with his bright easy grin and his carefree attitude. And though she hadn’t met him yet, the Sky Maiden was sure that this Gajeel person would be just as kind and warm!

But despite all the people that she had been introduced to so far by the various members of the guild - Mirajane had quickly taken her under her wing and started to tell her everything about everyone until Lucy had come and saved her - “Gajeel” wasn’t one of them. She grew more and more worried as the minutes ticked by, her smile becoming more of a worried twitch of her lips as her thoughts started to race. Maybe he wasn’t here today, or was off on an important job? What if he was here, but just didn’t want to meet her? What if he had already decided not to like her!?

Wendy was trying to keep from hyperventilating - even for a girl who ate air, that was never fun - when Lucy came back over, another young woman with short blue hair next to her. “Sorry I took so long!” Lucy said happily, not noticing Wendy’s momentary panic. “I got started talking Levy and time just got away from me!”

“Oh, it’s fine!” Wendy said with a little shaky smile, looking over at Levy. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Levy.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Levy said with a warm smile as she sat down next to the youngest Dragon Slayer. “How are you doing? Fairy Tail can be a bit… much, the first few times you hang out here,” she said, laying a hand on Wendy’s shoulder. The little girl decided right away that she liked Levy, and smiled back.

“I’m fine, really!” she reassured, ignoring Charle’s little scoff and complaint about how wild all the Fairies were. “Just a little nervous.”

“Nervous about what?” Lucy asked, sitting on Wendy’s other side.

“Well,” Wendy started, pushing her pointer fingers together nervously, “everyone keeps talking about this other Dragon Slayer, but I haven’t met him yet…”

Much to her surprise, both women snorted, Levy rolling her eyes. “That’s just Gajeel, he’s not very social,” she explained, a fond undertone to her words. “Though, I’m surprised he didn’t rush down when he heard you were a Dragon Slayer as well.”

“Maybe he’s just shy?” Wendy asked innocently.

The two older mages looked at her for a few moments before turning to share a look. And then they started to crack up laughing, Levy actually doubling over clutching her stomach. Wendy waited patiently for them to finish, exchanging a look with Charle over their seemingly random fit of insanity.

“Gajeel, shy!” Lucy said between laughs, wiping tears of mirth from the corner of her eyes. “Jeeze, I’m almost don’t want to introduce them anymore! Let her continue to live in oblivious bliss.”

“I’ll do it,” Levy said once she had stopped laughing, standing and offering her hand to Wendy with a smile. “Knowing him, he’s probably sulking around upstairs.”

“Do you know Gajeel well, Levy?” Wendy asked as she let the older blunette lead her by the hand, Charle flying after them. Levy smiled over her shoulder at the two as she lead them to the second level of Fairy Tail, where the lighting was much softer and the volume much lower.

“We have a shared history,” she replied cryptically, and Wendy exchanged a look with her partner, Wendy silently trying to tell Charle not to press the issue. Levy let go of her hand at some point, but Wendy stayed close, feeling more and more apprehensive as they delved further into the darker upper level. It was definitely a more subdued side of Fairy Tail, and Wendy made a note to come up here whenever it was just too much downstairs.

“Gajeel!” Levy called, snapping Wendy out of her thoughts. “So this is where you’ve been hiding!” Wendy looked ahead, and almost immediately hid behind Levy’s leg.

He. Was. _Huge._

Half of him was hidden in the shadows, but Wendy could already tell that he was several times her height and size, with thick, corded muscles stretched across his folded arms. There were piercings running up both of his arms, along with large pale scars, and Wendy immediately decided she didn’t want to know where he got those scars.

“What d’ya want, Shorty?” His voice was deep and sonorous, like gravel rolling down your throat, and Wendy didn’t know if she should be comforted or terrified by how much he sounded like a dragon. All of the ones she had met in the fuzzy memories of her time with Grandine had all had deep, booming voices. One dragon in particular had a voice like metal grinding together, and she remembered the day that he came more clearly than almost any of the others that came to request her mother’s healing magic.

“I want to introduce you to someone, since you’re too _shy_ to do it yourself,” Levy said teasingly, and Gajeel scoffed. Wendy yelped softly when the older mage laid a hand on her lower back, gently pushing her forward. “This is Wendy, she met Natsu and his team during the Nirvana incident and joined the guild today. She’s a Dragon Slayer, just like you.”

“So I’ve heard,” he said, pushing away from the pillar he had been leaning against - oh god he was even taller than she first thought! - and stepping closer to the two blunettes and into the light. Wendy finally got a good look at his face, and she almost felt like crying.

He looked so scary! So unlike the happy Natsu, Gajeel’s features were sharp and made for scowling. His hair was slicked back from his face and fell down his back like an oil spill, and his red eyes were the kind you’d expect to see waiting to pounce on you in the dark. There were more piercings on his face, and Wendy wanted to run back downstairs to the warmth and joy of the party downstairs.

“I-it’s nice to m-meet you,” Wendy said, bowing shakily. Gajeel just watched her for a few moments, his expression a cross of boredom and slight amusement at her obvious discomfort.

“Didn’t yer dragon ever teach ya how to properly introduce yerself to another dragon?” he rumbled, and Wendy froze.

She liked to think she was a fairly calm person, but she wanted to scream and cry at the older Dragon Slayer. How dare he insinuate that Grandine didn’t give anything but her all when raising Wendy!? Wendy couldn’t remember her birth parents, it was always Grandine who was there for her, even if those memories were also a little fuzzy. It was Grandine who taught her how to walk, how to talk and read, how to find the freshest fruits when she was too young to eat meat. She was the one who helped Wendy control her magic, that taught her how to heal the sick and injured and to support her comrades.

So yeah, maybe Grandine had disappeared before she got the chance to teach Wendy Draconic, the language of the dragons, or any of her more powerful offensive moves, but she had left Wendy with the knowledge of how to survive.

While she stood frozen, her little fists shaking, Wendy missed Gajeel’s slight look of panic as he watched the younger girl fume silently and Levy’s glare at the older Dragon Slayer, one hip cocked as she gave him a look that screamed “Apologize. _Now_.”

Wendy was about to turn around on her heel, never to come back up to the second floor or around the scary Dragon Slayer again, when Gajeel took another step closer, dropping down into a crouch in front of her. She stood up straight in shock, shrinking a bit when she realized that she was now at eye level with the older mage. He leaned forward a bit, close enough that Wendy, her dragon senses still a little underdeveloped, could smell him easily. She stood there for a few moments, afraid to make the first move, until Gajeel nodded at her.

“Well, come on,” he said, softening his voice until it was a low rumble. “Ya gotta learn at some point. Take a whiff.” Charle and Levy exchanged confused looks behind the two Dragon Slayers, but Wendy’s eyes widened slightly. She vaguely remembered Grandine first sniffing at any new dragon that came around before letting them anywhere near her daughter, and understood what Gajeel was trying to do.

Wendy leaned a little closer, the older Dragon Slayer staying perfectly still as she shyly sniffed at the air around him, watching her patiently. He smelled like metal ore and earth, the slight hint of his soap barely enough to cover the smell of his magic. It was a surprisingly clean scent, instantly calming Wendy and grounding her. She closed her eyes, taking a longer inhale and focusing her senses, just like Grandine had taught her.

She could hear his heart beating, a loud _thump-thump_ that beat slow and steady. The heat rolling off of him wasn’t as hot as Natsu’s, but it was there and comforting. She could feel no malice off of him, only calm interest and maybe a bit of worry. When she opened her eyes back up, Gajeel’s mouth was turned up in the corners, the small smile instantly softening his features.

“Better?” he asked and Wendy smiled back shyly, nodding back at Gajeel.

“Better,” she replied, giggling softly. Gajeel held his large hand out in front of him, and without any hesitation Wendy put her hand in his. His hand dwarfed hers and his hold was firm, but gentle as he bowed his head to her in a movement that was becoming more familiar the clearer her memories became.

“If ya need anything,” Gajeel said, “feel free to ask. Just for the love the god, don’t go to Salamander.” Wendy only felt a little guilty that she laughed, Gajeel’s unique laugh rumbling with hers.

“Oh, you haven’t been introduced to Charle!” Wendy said excitedly, her previous fear of the older Dragon Slayer forgotten as she grabbed one of his hands with both of hers, tugging him up. She turned around to motion Charle over, only to find both Charle and Levy standing slack jawed a few feet away, the white cat’s wings disappearing as she fell to the ground in shock.

“Um, wow,” Levy said slowly, blinking rapidly as she looked at the Gajeel, who was looking rather amused at their shock. “Well! I’m glad you two are getting along!”

“Worried, Shorty?” Gajeel said, gently pulling his hand out of Wendy’s grasp so he could cross his arms over his chest. His tone was teasing, like Levy’s had been earlier, and Wendy wondered if maybe they had a love thing going on. She’d ask Mirajane about it  later.

“Of course not,” Levy said, smiling, “I had complete confidence in you.”

“Liar.”

“Okay, I was a little worried,” Levy admitted, and Gajeel smirked.

“Prepare to be worried again,” he said cryptically, heading towards the balcony that looked over the first floor of the guild. All three girls looked at him in confusion, the wicked grin on his face sending shivers down Levy’s spine. That look couldn’t mean anything good.

“Gajeel, what are you-”

“HEY SALAMANDER!” Gajeel yelled, his loud voice easily carrying to where Natsu was about to start a fight with Gray. The other Dragon Slayer immediately looked up, punching Gray in the face without faltering.

“I’m a little busy here, Metalhead!” Natsu yelled back. “What do you want?”

“You know what Girlie being here means?” Gajeel continued, ignoring Wendy’s question of “Girlie?”

“He gives everyone nicknames,” Levy whispered in response. “Just be thankful your’s isn’t ‘Shrimp’, ‘Shorty’, or ‘Bookworm’.”

“What does it mean?” Natsu looked genuinely curious now, along with half of the guild. Wendy could see Makarov sitting on the bar, looking like he was about to have a heart attack, and she remembered how Lucy had told her that Natsu tended to get a little... _overenthusiastic_ and had a record for property damage.

“It means that we’ve got enough for a nest,” the Iron Dragon Slayer said, his grin widening as the guild went silent. Natsu’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates before an equally as wicked grin stretched across his lips, shifting his weight from foot to foot eagerly.

“A nest needs a Drake,” he said almost casually, cracking his knuckles. Wendy could feel the heat rising from all the way across the guild, and though part of her wanted to get out of the way, a deeper, instinctual part of her knew that what was about to go down would affect her life tremendously. "You sure you wanna challenge me?" Natsu continued, smirking. "Remember what happened last time we fought? You lost. Horribly."

"As much as I would love to make ya eat those words, we ain't fighting,” Gajeel said, rolling his eyes at the other Dragon Slayer. “ ‘Least not like that.”

Wendy had to giggle when she heard Makarov sob in relief from the bar, a perfect contrast to Natsu’s confused and disappointed expression. “Well then, how are we gonna do it?” he asked, hands on his hips. Wendy looked up at Gajeel, also curious to find out what they were doing, and watched as he grinned again eagerly.

“We’re doin’ this the _traditional way_ , Salamander.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 2


	5. A Nest Needs a Drake (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them.

There was a new purpose to Gajeel’s steps as the two female mages followed him down the stairs and out of the guild hall, Natsu following after him with an eager smirk. Levy couldn’t help but notice how much bigger Gajeel seemed, with his long strides and pulled back shoulders.

He walked as if there was no way he could lose, like he had been preparing for this for most of his life.

Most of Fairy Tail followed after the two Dragon Slayers, their curiosity peaked by Gajeel’s cryptic response. Besides, any showdown between him and Natsu was sure to be a good show, and Levy could already hear people making bets. Jet and Droy were amongst them, Jet betting on Natsu and Droy betting against, but instead of joining them like she normally would, Levy was staying by Wendy’s side.

The young Slayer was holding her Exceed tightly in her arms, trailing behind Natsu and Gajeel like a puppy, and Levy would have found it adorable if Wendy didn’t look half in a daze. She clearly had no clue what Gajeel had meant, but even Levy could tell that what was about to happen would affect _all_ of the Dragon Slayers.

Gajeel threw open the doors to the back courtyard, sunlight blinding the mages that were following him, but he and Natsu pressed on. If either of them had noticed that the majority of Fairy Tail were trailing after them, they didn’t say anything. They made their way to a large patch of grass that Makarov had asked for specifically for showdowns between mages, hoping to lessen the property Fairy Tail was subjected to on a near daily basis.

Not that anyone ever really used it, but hey, the thought was there.

“Do you know what Gajeel was talking about?” Lucy asked as she came over to the two blunettes, watching Natsu warily. Levy just shook her head. “Darn. Anyways, how did it go with Wendy?”

At this, Levy lit up. “It went _great!”_ she said, clapping her hands together. “You won’t even believe it, Gajeel is actually really-”

“Alright!” Gajeel said loudly, catching everyone’s attention and making Levy fall silent. He and Natsu had made their way to the center of the field, and everyone had made a large circle around them. “Let’s get this started. Girlie, you wanna try for Drake?”

“What’s a Drake?”

“I’ll take that as a no,” Gajeel said with a sigh, rubbing his jaw.

“Enough stalling!” Natsu said, cracking his knuckles. “Tell me what this ‘traditional way’ is and let’s go!” Levy could see the steam rolling off of Natsu's skin, the younger Dragon Slayer bouncing impatiently. He looked like his birthday and Christmas had come early, which was probably fairly accurate. But there was something in him that was missing. The quiet confidence that Gajeel had wasn’t there in the Fire Dragon Slayer.

If Levy was a betting woman, in that moment she would have put all of her money on Gajeel. His eyes were burning with the look of a man who wouldn’t accept defeat.

Gajeel crossed his arms, tilting his head. “Ya really wanna know, Salamander?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Ya sure?”

“Yes!”

“Ya _really_ sure?”

 _“Gajeel!”_  The Iron Dragon Slayer laughed, smirking at Natsu’s red face. Several other mages had started to laugh at his ability to rile Natsu up, Levy included, and Lucy shot her an amused look.

“Alright, alright,” Gajeel said, holding his hands up in surrender. “The way we’re gonna do this, is we’re gonna roar.”

The silence that followed his statement clearly just amused the Iron Dragon Slayer more.

“We’re gonna what?” Natsu asked dumbfounded, his once raised fists dropping to his sides limply. Gajeel shrugged, arms once again crossed.

“We’re gonna roar. The Drake is the dragon with the loudest roar.” The rest of Fairy Tail started to murmur, some clearly disappointed that they weren’t gonna see the two Dragon Slayers beat the crap out of each other.

“That’s it!?”

“That’s it,” Gajeel confirmed with a nod, one corner of his lip curled up in a smirk. “Wanna give up now?”

“You kidding me?” Natsu said, perking back up like nothing had happened. “Now it’s gonna be even easier to beat you at this stupid contest!” Levy immediately noticed every line in Gajeel’s body tense up when Natsu said the words _“stupid contest”_ , and turned to Lucy, nudging her arm.

“Hey, if Gajeel wins, I get a sneak peek at your novel,” she said lowly, a small grin on her lips. Lucy quirked an eyebrow at her.

“I thought you didn’t gamble?” she asked, and Levy’s grin turned into a smirk.

“This isn’t a gamble.”

She heard Wendy giggle at her words, and when she turned back to look at the center of the field, Gajeel was grinning at her. Crap, she had forgotten about the super hearing that all Dragon Slayers had. Her cheeks heated up with a blush, and Gajeel’s grin widened before he turned back to Natsu.

“Well, I’m ready when you are, Metalhead!” Natsu called tauntingly, clearly trying to get a rise out of his opponent. Gajeel just smirked.

“Speedy!” he barked out, pointing at Jet.

“My name is-”

“Run to the edge of town, and when we’re done come back and tell us which roar was louder,” the Dragon Slayer instructed, cutting off the Speed Mage’s protest. Jet turned to Droy with a confused look before sighing.

“Well, how will I know whose roar is who’s?” he asked, and the look that Gajeel gave him was so unamused that Levy had bite her lip to keep from laughing.

“And let ya rig the results? Just come back when we’re done,” he said, and turned back to Natsu in a clear dismissal. Jet looked over at Levy, gesturing at Gajeel while mouthing _“Is he serious?”_. Levy shrugged, tilting her head towards the edge of the city.

 _“Better get running,”_ she mouthed back, and Jet groaned loudly before taking off. They gave him three minutes before the two dragons stopped with their smack talk, both falling eerily silent along with the rest of the guild.

“Ya wanna go first Salamander?” Gajeel asked, putting his hands low on his hips. Levy could feel the tension in the air, and next to her, Wendy was knotting her fingers in Charle’s fur nervously.

“If you insist,” Natsu said with a large grin, moving his feet shoulder width apart. He took a deep breath, and after a moment, let it out in a loud roar. Most of the mages covered their ears with a cry, including Levy and Lucy. Wendy winced, reaching out and clinging onto Levy’s leg.

The roar lasted only for about ten seconds, but when it was done Levy’s ears were ringing. She looked down at Wendy, eyebrows creasing in concern when the little girl just pressed closer to her leg with a whimper.

“Girlie,” Gajeel called out, and Levy was surprised to see unmasked concern in his eyes. “Ya good?” Wendy nodded bashfully, letting go of Charle to cover up her ears.

“Ready,” she said, and Gajeel smirked.

“Good.” Gajeel looked back at Natsu with a smirk. “Yer about to hear a real dragon roar.”

Gajeel mimicked Natsu’s stance, one foot behind him as he took a deep breath. The whole guild seemed silent for a beat, and then Gajeel’s mouth opened and the earth _shook_.

Where Natsu’s roar had driven mages to cover their ears, Gajeel’s drove mages to their knees. Levy was one of them, covering her ears while trying to help Wendy cover her sensitive ears as well. When he was done, ears that Natsu’s roar left ringing were silent, and Levy saw several people gathered try to rub their ears back into working order.

Levy just looked at Lucy and smirked.

Gajeel was wearing a similar smirk as he looked over at Natsu, nodding his head as if to say _“You’re welcome”_. Natsu, for his part, looked like he was in shock, and this made even Lucy smile.

While the run there had taken two minutes, the run back took less than one. “What in the _hell_ was that!?” Jet gasped out, standing between the two Dragon Slayers.

“Well Speedy, which was louder?” Gajeel asked, already knowing the answer.

“Are you- you’re joking, right!?” Jet said incredulously. “Let’s put it this way. The first roar scared some sheep at the edge of town. The second? Scared some sheep at the edge of _the next town over_.”

Levy had never seen anyone look as smug as Gajeel did in that moment as he turned to Natsu, practically puffed up with pride. “Ya were saying earlier, Salamander? About beating me horribly? ‘Cause I think I just won.”

“N-No fair! I demand a retry!” Natsu yelled, quickly crossing the field to grab the front of Gajeel’s shirt. “You cheated!”

“I suggest ya let go,” Gajeel said lowly, his smirk wide.

“A good mage knows when to accept defeat, my boy,” Makarov said, still rubbing his ears as he came to the front of the crowd. “Accept yours before you end up starting a brawl on my yard, though it would be nice to see this useless patch of dirt used for its _intended_ purpose.”

Natsu simply growled at Gajeel, his grip tightening for a moment before he let go and took a few steps back, the scowl gone and a pout in its place. Happy flew over to his side, attempting to cheer the pouting Dragon Slayer up while Wendy raced into the clearing, Charle trailing after her.

“You’re gonna teach me how to do that, right?” she asked Gajeel, her eyes lit up brightly, and the older Dragon Slayer grinned as he ruffled her hair.

“Well, that is that,” Makarov said, and Levy wondered if it was her imagination that made her see the proud glint in the Master’s eyes. His arm grew until he could hold Gajeel’s arm up to the sky, like one would after winning a boxing match. “I give you, the Drake of the Fairy Tail Nest!”

The applause started out slow, but grew to a thundering roar that matched Gajeel’s own easily in volume. Levy could see Juvia towards the front of the crowd, cheering the loudest with a huge grin and tears running down her cheeks. She saw Natsu turn back towards Gajeel after a few moments and grin just as brightly as he would had he been the winner. Wendy was just beaming, putting her tiny hand in Gajeel’s own, and Gajeel…

Gajeel was looking towards the sky.

 


	6. In My Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them.
> 
> If you're looking for something to listen to while you read, marvell-s made a mix for one of the characters in this chapter! It's really wonderful, and it captures her character perfectly. 
> 
> http://8tracks.com/lionus/voeda

No matter how fast he ran, they were always a few feet behind him, chasing and hooting and hollering. He ducked under clothes lines, jumped over boxes, he even hid in a dumpster, but they still found him.

Gajeel was starting to wonder if there was anywhere they couldn't find him.

But maybe this was what he deserved. After all, he knew better than to steal food from the same shop twice, but the roll had been  _so_ good and he was  _so_ hungry. He had been fine until the baker had grabbed him by his hair and tugged hard, yelling about thieves and  _rue rats_. Gajeel had grabbed the first thing he could to try and get away, and suddenly the metal pan he had grabbed was warped into a twisted pole and Gajeel felt the man's greasy fingers slip out of his short hair.

"Good god,  _sorcier!"_ the pudgy man had yelled out, and Gajeel had seen a group of men at the end of the street perk up and turn in their direction. " _Sorcier!"_ the baker shrieked again, and Gajeel had taken off, dropping both the roll and the metal pole in his haste to get away from the men who had started moving in their direction.

 _Chasseurs d'esclaves._ Slave hunters. They snatched mages off the streets like wild animals and sold them to the highest bidder.

And Gajeel would not be sold.

He ran as quickly as his skinny legs could carry him, racing through alley after alley. The footsteps behind him were pounding in his head and encouraging him to run faster, despite his burning lungs and scraped and bleeding legs. He could see the forest that surrounded the city through the spaces between buildings and suddenly he could hear his father's voice in his head.

" _Get outta here, ya_ morceau de merde!  _This ain't fuckin' magic-lovin' Fiore, and I won't have a_ sorcier  _in my house!"_

Fiore. The country that neighbored their own. The Country That Grew With Magic. A safe haven for any of the mages that came from Bosco.

At the next break between buildings, Gajeel threw himself through the crack, praying that they wouldn't be able to fit through. But it just wasn't his day and next thing he heard was several of the men cursing as the border forest loomed over them.

" _Arrêter!"_ several of them yelled, but the seven year old just ran faster. So close, he just needed to cross this field and the second he crossed that tree line he would be protected by Fiore law.

So close!

"Argh!" Gajeel cried out, tumbling to the ground as he clutched his arm close, ignoring how blood spilled over his fingers as he looked at the arrow that nicked him. The hunters cried out victoriously and Gajeel scrambled back up to his feet, almost tripping several times as he tried to ignore the pain in his arm and the light-headedness he was feeling.

So _close!_

He crossed the tree line with a sob, not stopping as he started dodging branches and roots, his arm starting to  _throb._ The hunters stopped, cussing and yelling in fury of their lost payday, several firing their crossbows into the woods. Gajeel managed to dodge all the arrows this time, though one came close enough to tear the threadbare pair of pants he was wearing. He kept running, though he knew the hunters had stopped following, but he wasn't safe until he could see nothing but trees around him.

He ran for what felt like hours before it started to rain, making Gajeel slip in the mud and fall onto his side. He cried out again as his arm was jostled roughly, curling up in a small ball as he finally let himself stop, gasping for air and sobbing in pain. He couldn't go back, not to that horrid city. They would know his face now, the homeless boy with magic that he barely knew how to control. It would be the same in any other city in Bosco.

But he didn't know Fiore. He didn't know the language - just barely knew his own, his father hadn't bothered to teach him very well before kicking him out after five year old Gajeel accidentally turned a sharp knife into a dull piece of warped metal - he didn't know the streets. Gajeel was all alone in a strange country where he'd probably get sent back to his home the moment he got caught.

The little boy just curled up in a ball and wept harder.

He cried until he was numb all over from the stinging rain, and it took a few minutes after that to stand up. He was filthy, but filth wasn't new to him, and the sky was offering free showers. " _Menton haut,"_ Gajeel whispered, taking a deep breath before starting forward. He needed to find a village or a city, somewhere he could find bandages and some food, before he tried to figure out what to do next. There had to be someone who could help him in Fiore, he just had to get there.

Gajeel had highly overestimated how close the nearest city was, and after a couple of hours wandering through the forest in the rain, he was cold and sick and dying. His arm hadn't stopped bleeding, despite the rough bandage he had ripped from his pants leg that he had wrapped around the wound, and the blood loss was not helping keep him warm in the downpour that seemed to follow him. Gajeel could feel himself start to sweat with fever, and it was getting harder and harder to get air in his lungs.

He was staggering weakly when he saw the cave. Crying out in relief, Gajeel clumsily ran towards the sheltered cave, thinking of nothing else but relief from the rain. He fell to his knees once he was inside, basking in the feeling of not being pelted with ice cold rain. But though dry, the cave wasn't warm, and the young boy curled up on himself as he tried to will warmth back into his body, pushing soaked clumps of black hair out of his eyes. Gajeel could feel himself starting to fall asleep, and welcomed the reprieve from the bitter reality he had found himself in.

"Now don't do that. If you fall asleep now who's to say you'd wake up?"

Gajeel screamed, scrambling to his feet as he searched for the source of the voice. There was a small flare of light, and then there was a warm fire lit in the middle of the cave. Gajeel would have rushed towards the warmth of the fire if it hadn't been for what the fire had illuminated, hiding in the shadows.

A creature of such size that it could only be one thing.

"Dragon," Gajeel exhaled, the shivering of his tiny body now from fear instead of the cold.

"Well, come on then," the dragon said, its voice surprisingly feminine for how deep it was. "I didn't light this fire for myself."

Gajeel hesitated at the mouth of the cave, looking between the warm fire and the freezing rain. After a few moments, he scooted closer to the fire. It would be cooler to get eaten by a dragon than die because of rain, that's for damn sure. He sat opposite of the dragon, curling his knobbly knees into his chest as he let the warmth of the flames work its way into his body.

"There you go, little one," the dragon cooed, resting its large head back on its front paws. Its scales glowed a dark blue, and Gajeel was entranced for a moment by the way the light seemed to move over its hide like it was reflecting off water. "You look chilled through to the bone."

"A-are… are you going to eat me?" he asked in a whisper, and the dragon laughed.

"Of course not, little one. No point in eating something so starved and sick as you." Somehow, Gajeel found that comforting. "Now come, let me see your arm." He stiffened up, curling up further on himself. This was as close as he was getting to the giant man-eating beast, no matter how unappetizing it thought he looked. The dragon rolled its large eyes, and its long tail uncurled until it was nudging Gajeel's side.

"Come," it ordered, and Gajeel was on his feet in a heartbeat. You couldn't argue with that tone of voice, that was a Mom voice. No one had ever used a Mom Voice on Gajeel before, and he was surprisingly pleased.

Until he was standing in front of the dragon's large snout and Gajeel suddenly remembered that this creature could devour him whole if it so wished. Happy feeling gone.

The dragon leaned in close to his injured arm, the shoddy bandage falling away with a single swipe of a claw. Gajeel winced away from the movement, slowly opening his eyes again in wonder when he felt his arm still attached. The dragon laughed at him, a soft giggle that went against its large size, and he relaxed more. It had been so long since anyone had shown him genuine kindness, and Gajeel was ready to latch onto the first source he could find, be it the soft, warm mother he had always dreamed of having, or the large dragon that was currently inspecting his swollen arm.

"The wound's infected," the dragon told him, tilting its head to the side. "I can heal it, but it won't be as quick as if a sky dragon were to do it. You'll have to stay the night," the dragon looked at the young boy.

Gajeel nodded, sitting down while still holding his arm out. His legs were still a little shaky. "If you aren't a sky dragon, what are you?" he asked softly a few minutes after the dragon started to work, magic swirling around his injured arm. The large creature gave him a measured look before smiling; as much as a dragon could smile, that is.

"I am Voeda, one of the water dragons and mate to the Drake of this mountain and all the dragons who live here," she said proudly, and Gajeel looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You're the water dragon?" he whispered reverently, and Voeda giggled again.

"I am only one of her children, little one, I am not that high up." She worked in silence for a few more moments before asking, "And what about you, child? What is your name? You smell of magic."

Gajeel curled in on himself a little at the mention of magic, though he couldn't deny that he had been watching Voeda's magic at work on his arm in awe. "I'm just a street kid that got unlucky," he said softly, jerking in surprise when Voeda's surprisingly soft snout bumped against his forehead gently.

"I asked for your name," she said gently, "no matter what, you will always have your name."

He took a few moments to process that piece of wisdom before bashfully looking at his feet. "Gajeel Redfox," he said softly, and Voeda hummed.

"Gajeel. That's a good name," she told him gently. "A strong name."

Voeda continued to work on his arm in silence for a few more minutes, the blue dragon occasionally asking a question about Gajeel. Where he was from, why he was out on such a wretched night, and about his family. His answers were monosyllabic at best, but she didn't seem to mind.

Not like there was much to tell anyways.

When they weren't talking, Gajeel was looking around the cave, taking in his surroundings. There wasn't much; a large pool towards the back that he assumed was for bathing, a few piles of junk lying around, and at the very back, he could see a few trinkets poking out from behind a curve in the wall. They shined against the cave walls, and he looked away quickly, remembering tales of dragons attacking any who threaten their hoards. He didn't want to provoke Voeda in any way, not while she held his life in her claws. Though the longer he sat in front of her, the more at ease he felt.

After what felt like hours, Voeda pulled her large head away from his body, eyeing the young boy critically. "There, much better," she murmured, nodding once. "I would still recommend staying here for the night however, the rain is only getting worse." Gajeel looked out at the downpour, automatically shifting closer to the large dragon. She laughed gently, slowly moving closer so that one large arm was braced protectively behind the young boy. "Does the rain frighten you?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"No!" Gajeel said quickly, jerking around to face Voeda with a disgruntled expression. "I ain't scared of  _pluie!_ " He looked back out at the rain, shivering at the remembered cold and after a few quiet beats, leaned back into the warmth of Voeda's arm. Her hide was made of small, smooth scales, almost like a fish's, but wasn't nearly as slimy or gross. It was surprisingly warm and soft, and Gajeel felt his eyelids grow heavier as the last couple of hours finally caught up to him.

"Sleep, child," Voeda whispered softly, her breath a wave of calming warmth that just made Gajeel sleepier. "I'll watch over you."

"Ya won't eat me, right?" he mumbled sleepily, curling up in the crook of her elbow. Her laugh rumbled through him, and he just sighed when she pulled him in closer towards her torso, nudging his cheek with her snout gently.

"Never," she reassured, and Gajeel smiled softly up at her before slipping into the land of the dreaming.

His wake up call was not nearly as gentle.

He jolted up at the loud roar that shook the cave, the instincts from years living on the streets sending him scrambling to hide behind one of the piles of junk he had spotted before. He curled up into a small ball and tried to make himself seem as small as possible. Voeda called out to him, but the source of the roar cut her off, the heavy footsteps making the cave shake.

Gajeel dared to peek out to see what had come into the cave, and immediately regretted it. The dragon who had just stormed in was easily twice Voeda's size, its hide more like steel than skin. Its eyes seemed to burn red, their focus switching from sweeping around the cave and focusing on the water dragon.

It opened its mouth, its voice like two metal plates scraping against each other as it bit out the rough words. The language was so unlike Gajeel's own smooth tongue that he couldn't hope to understand what it was saying. Voeda responded easily, though Gajeel could tell by the way she was baring her teeth that whatever the other dragon had said had upset her.

They began going back and forth, their voices increasing in volume until their yelling bounced off the walls loudly, making the young boy cover his ears with a small cry. His eyes widened when both dragons fell silent, the tension thick in the air. Moving at a glacial pace, Gajeel slowly peeked his head around the pile, freezing when he met the eyes of the metal dragon. The dragon rumbled, moving towards Gajeel's hiding place, and Gajeel was ready to bolt when Voeda threw herself between the two, roaring loudly in the face of the larger dragon.

Gajeel paled, watching as the dragon that he had met just hours before came to his defense, snarling loudly as she positioned herself defensively, obviously ready to fight. Compared to Gajeel, she was huge, but before the other dragon she looked like a child. Her thick hide looked soft compared to the metal plating that covered the intruder, and the thought of the other dragon's wicked-looking claws coming anywhere near Voeda had Gajeel desperately searching through the pile for something to fight with.

There was nothing but scrap metal in the pile, varying from thick slats of iron that were as wide as Gajeel was tall, to small gears that he could have easily held in his hand. Gajeel was about to race towards another pile when Voeda roared again. Adrenaline pumped fast through his system, and Gajeel barely stopped to grab a long metal pole before racing out from behind the pile.

The two dragons, who were now standing with barely a foot between their snouts, both froze when the tiny human planted himself between the two, holding the pole up shakily. Gajeel glared up at the other dragon, trying to imagine himself as one of the brave knights from the stories he used to read and not think about the sheer size of the other dragon.

"Leave her alone!" he choked out, the words he had intended to yell coming out as a whisper. The metal dragon took a few steps back, head tilted as if considering the small human before it. "I-I won't say it again!" Gajeel continued, his voice stronger than the last attempt at speaking.

"Child, no-" Voeda started, only to be cut off by the other dragon. The dragon rumbled in what sounded like annoyance, taking a step forward. Gajeel's grip on the metal pole tightened.

"I said to leave her  _alone_!" he yelled, and the air filled with sparks. Electricity raced down his arms, twisting around the metal pole and turning the plain iron into a large blade. The edge was dull, but the magic that had prompted the small transformation still hung in the air. The two dragons looked back into the cave, the piles of scrap metal shaking and shifting ominously as the young boy's magic searched for something else to latch onto.

Though the show of power only lasted for a few moments, both dragons seemed floored. The metal dragon looked back down at Gajeel, this time in open curiosity and shock. Gajeel simply snarled back, the magic still pounding through his body making him feel brave.

"Metalicana," Voeda said gently, and when Gajeel looked at her she was focused on the other dragon. The metal dragon seemed to frown at her, letting out a sound like a groan before dropping down, its large skull flat against the ground as it tried to get on eye level with Gajeel. The young boy took a few steps back, still having to look up at the large dragon.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Gajeel's eyes widened in shock as his own language came out of the metal dragon's mouth, its voice still rough. He didn't respond at first, nearly jumping out of his skin when Voeda gently nudged her snout against the small of his back.

"You can tell him," she said gently. "He may be hardheaded, but he is fair." The metal dragon huffed loudly, seeming to glare at Voeda.

"Woman-"

"I didn't," Gajeel blurted out, Metalicana falling silent and looking back down at the young boy. "I mean, I didn't learn it anywhere. I just can."

"That's a great deal of potential," Voeda said, making herself comfortable now that tensions had dropped, though neither Gajeel or Metalicana missed how she placed herself protectively around the former. She said something else, but she was back to speaking in the rough language that they had been yelling in before, and Gajeel pouted.

Now she was just purposely keeping him in the dark.

Metalicana looked back and forth between the two, and after a few moments sighed loudly. "This will be hard to explain to the others," he said, and Voeda just gave him a look.

"Make them understand," she said plainly. He shook his head almost fondly, walking towards the back of the cave, only stopping to bump his snout against Voeda's and then laugh when Gajeel's jaw dropped. It was a rough sound, but not unkind, and Gajeel could only watch in shock as he made himself at home and calmly began to snack on one of the piles of metal as if nothing was wrong.

Gajeel stammered dumbly, his arms dropping to his sides and the tip of his makeshift weapon digging into the dirt floor of the cave. "Is that your-!"

"Mate, yes," Voeda said with a chuckle, dropping her head to rest in the curve of her arm. "You'll have to pardon him, he's a brute."

"I will change my mind!" Metalicana threatened, but Voeda only scoffed.

"Change his mind about what?" Gajeel asked quietly, and both dragons were quiet for a few moments.

"Metalicana is a metal dragon, child," Voeda started, a satisfied curl to her lips. "You are a metal mage. He has offered-"

"Was forced, more like it."

" _Offered,"_ Voeda hissed, glaring at her mate, "to teach you to control your magic." This time, the sword fell right out of Gajeel's hands as he looked up at the water dragon in shock.

"W-what?" he whispered, and Voeda smiled.

"I'm saying that there's a place for you here, if you want it," she said softly, and Gajeel couldn't stop himself from imagining it. The cave was comfier than any alley he had slept in before, and even after only a few hours, the thought of leaving the warmth of Voeda's arms made his heart twinge. And being able to control his magic…

Gajeel looked back at Metalicana, and the dragon met his eyes easily. He regarded the young boy almost challengingly, as if daring him to try and learn from the fierce dragon. Subconsciously, Gajeel stood up straighter and Metalicana laughed, grinning at him.

"Do you think you can keep up, brat?" he rumbled, and Gajeel's answering grin was nothing short of cocky.

"I can take whatever you throw at me," he responded, and Voeda laughed.

"Good, because it's not going to be easy," Metalicana said, lumbering over until he was curled protectively around both Voeda and Gajeel, laying down and closing his eyes. Gajeel thought he had fallen asleep, but his eye popped back open to look at the young mage.

"Welcome to the nest," he rumbled, and for the first time in a long while, Gajeel felt like he belonged.

* * *

Bloodied knuckles slammed into the trunk of a tree, the young man panting loudly as he tried to catch his breath. He had been running for hours, trying to follow the fading scent of his father through the woods. The area was still new to him, and his nose still wasn't as strong as a real dragon's, but he didn't care.

All he cared about was that he had woken up that morning, ready to train, and Metalicana was gone.

Gajeel took a deep breath, pulling his hand back from the tree and flexing his fingers. He knew his hand was bleeding, but he couldn't feel any pain. Couldn't feel anything but anger and a growing panic that he was desperately trying to ignore.

"METALICANA!" he roared, scaring several birds in the immediate area from their roost. "YOU BASTARD!" He took a few steps forward, lifting his chin and sniffing at the air, growling when the familiar scent of metal and heat was nowhere to found. Trying to ignore the shaking in his hands, he raced forwards, searching for any hint of Metalicana's scent left in the air.

He tripped several times, sometimes over a root or rock, sometimes over nothing at all, but he kept running. Running and running and screaming and never stopping until he reached the end of the woods, nearly running right off the cliff before managing to skid to a halt.

Gajeel didn't bother to look down, searching the sky for a hint of metal scales and seeing nothing but storm clouds. Of course he would leave on an overcast day, when the weather would hide him better than any spell could.

Bastard.

He was shaking, his knees threatening to give out on him, but Gajeel could only focus on the growing feeling of isolation that threatened to swallow him up like the drop below. And unlike his father, Gajeel didn't have wings.

After a few moments, Gajeel let himself sink to his knees, wrapping his arms tightly around himself as reality hit him. His dad was gone, no trace of his scent left in the air. He couldn't go back to the nest, to his aunts and uncles and cousins, not after he and Metalicana had left nearly a year ago. And Voeda…

Water slipped down his cheeks, and the thirteen year old quickly wiped it away, looking up and hoping that it had been rain and not his own grief, but the universe wouldn't even grant him that favor. He wouldn't cry, not for Metalicana. He wouldn't waste another moment on that bastard! All that talk of family and the responsibility of being Drake, all those afternoons spent lazing together after a long training session while Voeda shook her head fondly at their antics, all of that meant nothing anymore.

He had left.

Gajeel's hands tightened into fists, burning red eyes glaring at the sky through long strands of black hair. Nothing but dark grey clouds for as far as he could see, but when he looked towards the ground, he could see a town in the distance. Fiore.

He wasn't seven anymore, he wasn't a weak little kid with no control over his magic. He was a Dragon Slayer now, though he was still far too skinny to look like a real threat to anybody. But his mother had been like that as well, and she had been a fierce warrior in her prime.

Voeda…

Gajeel felt the shaking get worse, and this time, he let himself cry. Tears he'd been holding in for a year now, pain he couldn't let himself feel around Metalicana. This time when he looked at the sky, rain started to come down, and the young man closed his eyes and felt the water roll over his skin.

"Mom…" he said quietly, opening his eyes back up to look at the rain, the dark grey clouds.

His mother's element, his father's scales.

"YOU PROMISED HER YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ME," Gajeel screamed into the sky, voice cracking. "YOU PROMISED THAT TO HER ON HER DEATH BED, YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!"

Gajeel curled up on himself, arms wrapped tight around his knees, and suddenly he was seven again. Cold, alone, and heading towards a country he didn't know.

"You  _promised_ ," he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this is a lot of artistic license and headcanons for one chapter, and I'm not expecting them all to make sense right now. A lot of this ties in with other characters and events that took place while Gajeel was with Metalicana that will be explored later on. That being said, I'd like to go ahead and clarify a few things now, and if you have any other questions, I will do my best to answer them.
> 
> 1) Bosco is a country on the eastern border of Fiore. Not much is known about it besides the fact that it is where Bora is from and that there is an active slave trade. I took a mostly blank slate and tried to expand on it in a way that would make the most sense in-verse. Since there are so many characters in Fairy Tail with French influences (Sol, Reedus, Ichyia, Juvia), I decided to make that my base for Bosco as well. All the dialogue in this chapter is French, but seeing as a chapter full of a language I do not speak (I tried, believe me I tried, and failed both years of french class) with italicized translations would be a pain in the ass, I figured that this would work a bit better. All of the french terms used in this chapter I got from Google Translate.
> 
> 2) Yes, I gave Gajeel a mom, fight me. Who's to say Metalicana didn't have a mate? Just because Gajeel doesn't mention her, doesn't mean she doesn't exist (besides, Gajeel is a shamelessly unreliable narrator when it comes to his dad). I wanted to expand on the blank that is Gajeel's life before Phantom Lord, because there's so much unexplained and unexplored. Voeda will be mentioned a few more times in the fic, though at this point, she is dead. Her death will be explained later on. Yes, it will hurt just as much as you think it will.
> 
> 3) Though I didn't go into it in this chapter, I do have a theory as to how and why Gajeel (and Juvia) joined Phantom Lord. They will involve Gajeel's status as an illegal immigrant and Juvia's own history which we get flashbacks of during the fight with Gray in the anime. I'm going to be writing a side fic about it, which is currently in the works. 
> 
> I've been really worried about posting this chapter because like I said before, this is a lot of artistic license that I will be taking in this fic, which at this point I think renders this fic firmly in the AU category. I ask for your patience, for everything will tie together in the end.
> 
> Next chapter we will be back to guild shenanigans.


	7. Sibling Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the characters, I'm just borrowing them.

"What the  _hell_ are ya two doing?"

Both Dragon Slayers froze, slowly turning to look at the imposing man standing behind them. Gajeel would have laughed at how pale they both went at the sight of him if he wasn't so annoyed. He'd only been gone for  _two days_  and already they were both disregarding his orders.

Somehow, Gajeel had expected that this whole Drake gig would come with some more benefits; for example, people  _actually fucking listening to him._

"Oh, uh, hey Gajeel!" Natsu said with a bright smile, regaining his composition much quicker than the still pale Wendy. "You're back!"

Gajeel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and debating the merits of chaining Natsu to a post (nah, he didn't want to have to deal with feeding him). "What  _exactly_  did I say before I left on that job?" he said slowly, pinning them both with a glare. Wendy at least squirmed, looking very guilty, but Natsu just kept smiling like nothing was wrong.

"Uh, ' _Don't drink all the booze while I'm gone_ '?" Natsu said, trying to deepen his voice in a parody of Gajeel's as he spoke. Gajeel just crossed his arms, quirking an eyebrow.

"Don't practice our roars while you're gone," Wendy whispered, looking down at the ground.

"And what just nearly knocked down half of the guild?" Gajeel asked, sweeping his hand back towards the guild hall, where one small corner of the guild had been blown straight off by an errant  _Sky Dragon's Roar._ The shaking of the building had alerted Gajeel to what was going on out back, and when he had rushed out, he had found a panicked Wendy and a positively glowing Natsu.

"My roar," Wendy admitted quietly, looking like she was about to start crying. Gajeel tore his eyes away from her, instead focusing on Natsu. He couldn't stay mad at a crying girl, he wasn't nearly  _that_ heartless - and yes, okay, maybe he had a bit of a soft spot for Wendy, sue him - but still. He was supposed to be the Drake, it was his job to teach Wendy how to properly use her roar and to keep the guild hall from collapsing around Makarov's head.

This was supposed to be easier, he'd only been wanting this since he was eight.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms. "So Wendy lost her balance, so what? Look, we were bored so we decided to practice!"

"Actually  _you_ deci-" Wendy said weakly only to get cut off by Natsu pointing towards one end of the field.

"We even made a target!" he said, sounding almost proud, and Gajeel looked to where Natsu had, apparently, crudely tied a metal shield to a tree and taped a picture of a smirking Gray onto the trunk.

Gajeel just turned back towards Natsu, quirking an eyebrow and jerking his thumb back at the guildhall as a few more bricks fell off the building. Wendy actually covered her face with her hands this time, though he couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or shame.

"Look, just clean it up," he said firmly, trying not to snap at them. Being Drake meant keeping a cool head, not giving in to your temper. Something that he, admittedly, did not have a lot of practice in. Back in Phantom Lord, anger management wasn't a thing he had to worry about, not when all his actions were excused by Jose.

Those days were over though, and not only did he not have anyone to excuse his attitude, but he was being watched more closely than ever before, everyone waiting for him to slip up so that they had a reason to kick him out of the guild. He had no room for error.

"Why do we have to clean it up?" Natsu whined. "It's not like we did it on purpose!"

"Ya still did it," Gajeel continued, "so ya get to clean it up. I'm not cleaning up yer crap."

"Oh yeah? Who's gonna make us?" Natsu said with a pout, and Gajeel had to resist the urge to groan. If the Fire Dragon Slayer wanted to play this game, fine. Time to employ Gajeel's new two favorite words.

_Pulling. Rank._

"I'm the Drake," he said with a wide smirk, poking Natsu in the chest. "So if I say 'clean up yer crap', ya clean up yer crap, understood?"

If looks could kill, Gajeel would be a pile of ashes on the yard. But Natsu just huffed and went off to go find some spare bricks from the reconstruction of the guildhall that no one had quite forgiven Gajeel for trashing. They never brought it up, at least not when they thought he could hear them, but he knew tensions were still high.

Gajeel didn't think they'd appreciate him telling them that not only could he hear their whispers from pretty much  _anywhere_ in the guild hall, but they had half the details of that night wrong. He did not, in fact, kick puppies and spit on infants on his way out of the wrecked guildhall.

Okay, so he did whistle while he was working, but come on, it was silent and creepy! There was nothing a good song couldn't fix.

"How long do we have to do this?" Natsu yelled as he came around the building, carrying a pile of bricks in his arms. Wendy followed after him, a barrel of mortar in her thin arms. She was clearly struggling with the weight - no wonder, the damn thing probably weighed more than she did - and Gajeel was at her side in her heartbeat, taking the heavy load from her. She didn't look up to thank him, instead staring at the ground and kicking at it with her foot, and he felt his stomach sink. Had he been too rough on them? Fuck, he wasn't any good at this!

Dragons, he knew. He could interact with dragons. But humans, even Dragon Slayers, were another matter entirely.

"Until it's done," Gajeel told Natsu, looking up from Wendy to give him a Look. The other Dragon Slayer was watching him with a thoughtful frown, and Gajeel wanted to snap at him. But no, keep it together. "I don't want Makarov coming and chewin'  _my_ ear off because ya couldn't follow simple orders." Next to him, Wendy made a quiet sound like a whine, and Gajeel actually had to resist the urge to smash his face into the heavy barrel. Goddamnit, what had he done wrong  _that_ time!?

"What do you mean 'done', exactly?"

"When I can't see the sky from my seat at the bar, Salamander, what the hell else?"

Natsu simply grumbled at him, jumping up the side of the building - flexible little  _freak -_ until he was at the corner of the building, dropping the bricks on the roof with a clatter. He was back to take the barrel from Gajeel, which he did with surprising gentleness. He looked at Gajeel with a small frown, and Gajeel couldn't tell if the younger Dragon Slayer was judging him for upsetting Wendy or trying to apologize for causing this whole mess. If he was, that was the most of an apology that Gajeel was going to get, so he dropped the topic.

Natsu was back on the roof in a heartbeat, and he looked over the edge with a bright grin at Wendy. "Come on, Wen!" he said happily. "Let's get this done fast so we can get back to practicing!"

"Oi!"

"What? You're here now, aren't you?" Gajeel simply grumbled in response. Cheeky brat.

Wendy nodded in response, looking at Gajeel one last time before kicking off from the ground in a graceful arc. Gajeel could feel the calm summer breeze that had been blowing all day quickly change directions to support her ascent, whipping his hair around into his mouth much to Natsu's amusement. Wendy squeaked out an apology between her fingers, and after Gajeel got most of the hair out of his mouth, he shot her a wry smile.

"Don't let him talk you into anymore dumb crap," he said with a nod towards Natsu, ignoring the young man's protests as Wendy giggled softly. Proud that he at least got her to laugh, Gajeel headed back inside, leaving them to work.

He was still trying to push his hair back against his head when he walked up to the bar, frowning when he noticed his tankard was gone. Goddamnit, hate him all they wanted, fine, but at least leave a man his beer!

"Cana took it not long after you left." Gajeel looked over at where Mirajane stood behind the bar, cleaning a mug out. "I tried to tell her you were coming back, but she either didn't hear me or didn't care."

"Fuckin' hell," the Iron Dragon Slayer grumbled, rubbing his face as he sat back on his stool. "Can I get another beer?" Mirajane nodded, shooting him a weary smile, and he wondered how much of his interaction with Natsu and Wendy she had heard. The demon barmaid had a scary tendency to know more than she was supposed to, and it was for that reason that Gajeel tried to be as polite to her as he could.

Also, girls were scary. And not in an 'Ah, I don't know how to control my dick and they're all hot' kinda way, but in a 'They will slit your throat with their nails without batting an eyelash if you get on their bad side' kinda way.

A full tankard was set in front of him and Gajeel took it with a thankful grunt, taking a long gulp before setting it back down. "That one's on the house," Mirajane said cheerfully, and Gajeel nodded to her, staring into the amber depths of his drink like it held the answers he needed. He had almost come to some sort of epiphany -  _Beer, would tying Natsu to a pole be worth the hassle?_  - when Mirajane interrupted his thoughts.

"Sibling troubles?"

Gajeel looked up at her with wide eyes, going cross-eyed to glare at some of the strands of hair that fell into his view. Mirajane giggled at him as he once again ran his fingers through his hair, trying to hold it all back. He could've sworn he heard Juvia laugh at him somewhere towards the back of the guild, and even Shorty giggled. But he stayed focused on the woman in front of him, trying to glare at her without really glaring.

"We ain't related," he grumbled, taking another long sip of his beer. Mirajane shook her head with a smile, like he amused her greatly, and he sunk into a lower slouch. Great, just what he needed, a crazy Take Over mage deciding he was a fun plaything.

"Maybe not but blood, but you're definitely siblings. I have-" she cut off with a small choke, but when Gajeel looked up at her, her smile was still in place. "I had two younger siblings, and I know  _that_ look anywhere." The change of tenses wasn't lost on Gajeel, and he simply nodded. Would it be inappropriate to say he was sorry for her loss?

"I'm just trying to keep from gettin' in trouble," the Iron Dragon Slayer said. Mirajane simply smiled, going back to cleaning the mug in her hand.

"Well, from one older sibling to another," she continued, not looking up from her work, "I find that it's easier to convince one of them to not be bossed around by the other, instead of trying to get the rowdy one to fall into line."

"Elfman get into a lot of crap as a kid?" Gajeel asked, trying not to delve into dangerous waters. But Mirajane simply laughed, her features softening with remembered fondness.

"More like he got dragged into a lot of it," she told him, and Gajeel waited patiently for her to keep talking. Her fond smile was infectious, and he felt the corners of his lips turn up slightly. "Lisanna could talk him into  _anything!_ He would take the fall for all of her and Natsu's pranks, and I couldn't punish him for it! He would always look so heartbroken!" Gajeel tried to picture a younger Elfman trying to appeal to an angry Mirajane and had to muffle his laughter into his palm, Mirajane unabashedly joining him in his mirth.

"Are you talkin' about me?" Elfman called out from across the guild, and Gajeel simply laughed harder. He could see Elfman pouting at his older sister, and Mirajane just waved happily back.

"Good things, I promise!" she sang, and though the larger Take Over mage  _clearly_ did not believe her, he went back to his conversation. He was smart enough to know better than to antagonize his sister, and Gajeel made a mental note to try to talk to him at some point. He needed more smart friends.

"But seriously," Mirajane said, interrupting Gajeel's thoughts. "It's all trial and error to see what works." She smiled warmly. "I think you're doing fairly well, actually. Give it time, and keep making an effort, and I'm sure you'll be fine." She patted his forearm before going to the other end of the bar, attending to the other patrons. Gajeel hummed thoughtfully, looking back at his tankard with a small smile.

Well, at least she didn't hate him.

He was almost halfway through his beer when there was a small tug on his tunic, and he turned to find Wendy standing bashfully by his stool. She was staring at her feet, one hand still fisted in the rough fabric of his shirt, and Gajeel seriously considered going and starting a bar fight just to feel manly again. She looked so small and sad…

"Gajeel," she said softly, looking up at him through her bangs. "I'm sorry. I tried to talk Natsu out of it but he wouldn't leave me alone and I wanted to surprise you when you got back and Charle was out and Happy kept encouraging me too and-"

"Woah, girlie, slow down," Gajeel said, dropping his hand on her head. "Deep breaths." Wendy did as he said, taking a deep breath through her nose and letting it out through her mouth. Once she had done this a few times, Gajeel let his hand fall to her shoulder, smoothing down her hair. "Better?"

She nodded, and after a moment, Gajeel pulled her into his side, giving her a tight one armed hug. Wendy latched onto his waist, her skinny arms only reaching halfway around. "'M sorry," she mumbled into his side, and he lightly scratched between her shoulder blades, like his mom always used to do to him. She made a soft, rumbling sound in the back of her throat like a purr.

"Hey, it's fine," Gajeel said, keeping his voice low like he had when they first met. "Just don't do it again, okay? I don't want you to get hurt." Wendy nodded, her face still tucked against his side.

"You're not mad?"

"I'm not mad."

Wendy sighed in relief, pulling back to wipe her eyes with the heels of her hands. He gave her hair one last ruffle before turning back towards his beer, smiling against the lip of the mug when he took a sip.

"You give good hugs," Wendy told him as she hopped up onto the stool next to him, practically falling off the stool as she tried to sit close to him.

"Ya would be the first to think so," Gajeel told her, smirking. She grinned brightly at him, and his heart gave a sudden heavy thud in his chest. He understand now what Mirajane meant when she said that they were siblings. In that moment, he finally felt like Drake. He'd give his life for his nest.

" _HEY!_ Why'd she get to come in!?"

Never mind.

Gajeel glared at a pouting Natsu through the hole in the ceiling, rolling his eyes. "'Cause I like her more, now get back to work!" he barked, and Natsu's pout deepened.

"Rude!"

"Ya just now figuring that out, Salamander?"

Wendy giggled into her hands, and Gajeel smirked.

"So I don't get a hug?"

"Screw off!"

Behind the counter, Mirajane smiled as she watched the two Dragon Slayers go back and forth, Wendy happily watching them. The Take Over mage looked over at where her own brother was sitting only to find him grinning back at her, and she smiled. Maybe he didn't know it now, but Gajeel would figure out soon how blessed he was to have two siblings who cared about him so much.

 


End file.
